1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illuminated animated ornament that can be viewed or displayed in a home, office or other location as a decorative item. A portion of the ornament bearing an image is rotated so that, to a stationary viewer, the image appears to move. In one of many uses thereof, the illuminated animated ornament is a Christmas tree ornament.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rotating decorative items are known and used for various ornamental purposes. One known rotating decorative item is a convection projection lamp. In that lamp, a light bulb is located inside a cylindrically-shaped shade. The cylindrical shade is oriented vertically, with the lower end of the shade being open and the upper end being covered with a turbine blade assembly. The shade is supported hanging on a needle bearing at the shade's central axis. The bearing is positioned so that the shade's center of gravity is below the point of the shade support. Heat generated by the bulb when it is illuminated creates a convection air current flow from the bottom to the top within the shade. The heated air current which exits the shade top by way of the turbine blade assembly causes the shade to rotate about its vertical axis on the needle bearing. The shade is a transparent element with its surface carrying colored translucent images. A fixed screen of translucent material encircles the exterior of the shade. Light from the bulb projects the shade images onto the screen, so that the rotating movement of the shade produces the effect of moving the images on the screen.
A disadvantage of the known rotating lamp is that the single point support of the shade cannot always prevent yaw of the shade during rotation thereof, so that the shade can strike against the inside surface of the fixed screen causing disruption of optimum projection and viewing of the images. The problem of shade yaw is particularly aggravated with the single point support arrangement when the shade is long. When a rotating shade lamp with a needle bearing is used on a Christmas tree, it is difficult to ensure that the ornament is perfectly vertical for proper convection air current flow so that the ornament rotates properly.
Additionally, the rotating lamp requires a strong heated air flow to produce proper shade rotation. To ensure proper rotation, a bulb must be used with large wattage and/or size, with associated power consumption, size and weight disadvantages. Where a rotating ornament is to be of compact size, such as for use as a tree ornament, it is important to minimize the size of the bulb and the turbine drive while still maintaining sufficient sizing to allow for convection air flow to produce shade rotation.